We've known for about a month that the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference was the only playoff bid that wasn't more or less sealed up. Now we get the chance to take in the final nine days of the regular season with that battle tense as ever. The Lakers and Jazz both play, on ESPN, on the final day of the regular season, but Utah can make that irrelevant by staying a game ahead of Los Angeles the whole way. The Jazz own the tiebreaker. Winning this one, against a potential first-round opponent, would be a huge step in that direction. The Lakers meanwhile face a young team that is peaking as the season nears close. A Jazz win and Lakers loss would make things very difficult for Los Angeles and for all the networks and advertisers praying for the Lakers' massive ratings.